Puerto Rico Introduces New Guidelines for Hate Crimes

While the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Serrano is frustrated with how long it took for the hate crime protocol to be instated, he called it "a step in the right direction."

"We look forward to working with the new administration to make sure that hate crimes are investigated and prosecuted as such," Serrano wrote in an email.

The Governor-elect Alejandro Garcia Padilla has vowed to work to combat anti-LGBT violence in his coming term. In a speech he gave to the LGBT community before the election, Padilla insisted that he'd help fight such injustices on the island. He even closed by echoing a famous line from Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the United States.

"My name is Alejandro Garcia Padilla," he said in Spanish, "And I'm here to recruit you."